By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Tough start to the 2019-20 season for Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv. Giannis Sfairopoulos’ side lost to Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem in Saturday’s Winner Cup final. However, the 52-year-old Greek head coach underlined that his team has to learn from the slim defeat ahead of future EuroLeague and Super League challenges.
“We didn’t start the game well, we had no concentration, as for Jerusalem, they came determined right out of the gate,” he initially pointed out, “In the last 5 minutes of the first half, we started playing better basketball, scoring easy points as we tied the game. In the second half, it felt like a derby game, both teams fought”.
“In my opinion, the critical part was when we led by 7, that is when we let them score easy points,” added Sfairopoulos, “We lost concentration on defense, and it hurt us. They came back, and in the final minutes, the game was decided by small details. This is just the beginning of the season, and I want to congratulate Jerusalem for the victory. We need to learn from this game, understand how to win close games”.
“We started slow. I had a couple of turnovers, and we didn’t open the game well as it became a different game than planned,” mentioned his top scorer, Elijah Bryant, “Jerusalem deserves credit, they played great. I think my performance doesn’t matter if you don’t win, we all think that way”.